Doctors can apply for APC early

Doctors can apply for practising cert early

Doctors can now apply for their Annual Practising Certificate (APC) starting July 1 instead of Dec 1 as was the practice earlier. Malaysian Medical Council president Datuk Dr Ismail Merican said the change was to avoid late applications.

He said some doctors were in the habit of submitting applications at the eleventh hour and were often imposed a RM50 late fee. This caused backlogs and delays in the issuance of certificates.

Dr Ismail, who is the Director-General of Health, also cautioned doctors about practising within the areas specified in the APCs and locum work.

On the areas, he said: "There is no limit to the number of places of practice under the APC. But doctors must practise in these speficied places and nowhere else."

He added that the MMC had received numerous reports of doctors working in clinics they were not permitted to, including performing plastic surgery in beauty salons.

On locum work, he said government doctors were only allowed to do so in government hospitals and not in private clinics as most of them were now doing.

----NST

Looks like the new DG has brought some cheers to the medical practitioners. In recent years they have been getting their APCs later and later. A doctor-friend of mine told me recently that for the earlier parts of 2004 and 2005 he was technically working 'illegally' as he had no APC to show in his clinic. This year he only received his cert in late March. Fortunately the enforcement officers did not turn up in his clinic. So he should be pretty glad that APC applications can be made as early as 1st July from this year. But will it result in him getting his cert before 1st Jan of each year, he wonders.
And regarding the other matter of locum work, is there really locum work to be done in gomen hospitals? i thought that locum work was only available in private clinics and most of these locums are practising goemn medical officers!